Detroit falls in consumer satisfaction survey

A new report has suggested US buyers of American vehicles are less satisfied with their purchases than those who purchase foreign-built models.

The annual automotive report from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) suggested August 16 that Detroit's success in topping the rankings of consumer satisfaction last year was short-lived, with foreign brands reoccupying two of the three top-ranked names.

Lexus and Toyota shared the highest rankings despite perception problems following a massive recall last year and difficulties following the devastating Japanese earthquake of March this year.

General Motors premium brand Cadillac also shared the top spot, managing to push Ford-owned Lincoln and German automaker Mercedes-Benz into joint second position.

Overall, ACSI said that consumer satisfaction with new cars had showed a marginal improvement of just over one percent, although hidden in that figure are significant successes for some brands.

Ford and Nissan, for instance, rose two percent to their best ever satisfaction scores, while Volkswagen also posted a rise of four percent (although it remains off its high).

BMW, by contrast, tumbled four percentage points to a 14 year low in terms of consumer satisfaction, putting it equal with Korean automaker Hyundai and Detroit's GMC.

The worst scores in the industry went to Chrysler, which suffered a considerable slump of five percentage points for its main brand and smaller falls for Dodge and Jeep subsidiaries.